Clicheprogressions:About

clicheprogressions.com is a database cataloging commonly used chord patterns used in popular music. It was created in 2005 by V.J. Manzo as a site noting the simple, repetitive, and derivative nature of much of popular music that soon grew to become a resource to music educators, researchers, theorists, and composers looking to discuss and work with these progressions.

Progressions are grouped according to common chord function patterns such as the I V vi IV progression, or the I vi IV V. For each pattern, a wealth of popular songs featuring the use of these progressions is given.

In addition to the initial fun this site has promoted since its inception, clicheprogressions.com was used in the Interactive Music Technology Curriculum Project, or IMTCP, (Manzo & Dammers 2010), a project involving interactive music systems for composition and performance in middle-high school students using open-source EAMIR (Manzo 2006) software and instruments. The site was also cited as a resource for participants in Manzo's PhD dissertation on Polyphonic Interactive Music Systems to Aid in Determining Harmonic Functions (2011). It's also still alot of fun to tease bands that make careers of writing/performing songs that repeat the same four chords--even though secretly we all know those songs are really cool anyway!

If this site has been fun, interesting, helpful for you, please consider adding to it. This is and always has been 100% free and is part of the Clear Blue Media network of projects.